A Bright Spring!

Good Sunday Evening to ya!  Hope the weekend was fabulous for ya!  We had a good weekend--I ordered my new laptop (a new HP Envy) can't wait for it to arrive!  My old laptop is just driving me CRAZY I tell ya and I need a good laptop to survive and get my work done! LOL!  The ghost has not been back thankfully, although I might add that our houses are built on old Civil War battlegrounds/campgrounds and property owned by Robert E. Lee's family---CREEPY to think about huh?!

FYI--I now have a Copic Color Chart that you can download and print HERE (also on my Tutorial page) thanks to my friend Marti!  It has all the colors including the new 0000's and Spicas--just remember to print it out on the paper that you color on for a true color chart!

But anywho, I've got a special project to share with you tonight for Gina K's Card Club Kit Blog Hop!

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Spring Florals

I just adore this "Spring Florals" kit by Gina K Designs--so many beautiful flower images to work with!  I knew I wanted to create a field of flowers in red (my fave color) to use on my project tonight.  I cut a circle out of my cs with my Circle Nestabilities then stamped the floral image multiple times around the bottom of my circle.  Then I colored with my Copics (R29,R24,R22,R20,RV10,Y11/G67,G21,G20).

I kept the makeup of this card pretty simple--just squares of cs stacked to let the flowers shine!  The yellow cs was embossed with the CB Morrocan Embossing folder that I have.  The bow was made with the Bow Easy!  The soft sky background was done with SU ink and my Tim Holtz Inkssentials Blending tool (love that thing)!

Up close, you will see the NEW Ultrafine Flower Soft I used in the center of each flower--love the soft texture it gives to a card!  And then I added some Viva Decor Glitter Liner (see my videos for info on these under tutorials/templates) in holo irridescent to the leaves for sparkle!  A pretty sentiment and some pearls finish this card off! 

For even more ideas with the Spring Florals stamp set, please check out these links:

Jessica Fick 

Bev Gerard

Colleen Schaan

Sankari Wegman

Suzanne Dean

Sharri Seffens

Tina Gilliland

Giovanna Smith

Melissa Cash

Carolina Buchting

Jennie Harper

Brenda Turner

There are many more projects that can be found in the StampTV gallery by clicking on this tag: springflorals

Enjoy all the samples tonight!  If you haven't purchased this stamp set yet, please take note that the free Card Kit will be included with each purchase until March 18th.  At that time, the next card kit stamp set will be released!

Saturday Fun!

Happy Saturday to ya!  It's a busy day for me so I'll keep most of my chitter-chatter to a minimum for ya, hee hee!  The ghost in my house has been back--last night I went to bed and woke up to hear a weird noise and the dogs growling, so I smacked my hubby real good (u have to understand that FIRST I'm a scaredy cat big time and SECOND he's a very DEEP sleeper), LOL!  So I made HIM go and investigate in all his grogginess and ALL of my craft room lights were on, all my cupboard doors were wide open and all my punches were on the floor out of their pockets!  Can you say CREEPY???  IT SCARED THE crappola outta me--I never did go back to sleep--I'm really not quite sure what's going on, but as skeptical as I am I'm just not sure, although hubby asked ME if I might have done it, err no I don't sleepwalk, you big silly-head!!  Even my very serious & practical hubby was a lil' thrown off by it all especially since everyone was asleep and the house was quiet.  And the cats will NOT go in my craft room at all now---they usually come and sleep in the chair or whine at me to feed them, but they're steering clear---WEIRDY I tell ya!  WEIRD!!

NewsBitz:

-I will announce when the classroom site for the Copic Classes is live.  It will hopefully be the middle of next month, but I will let you all know, you won't miss the announcement, I promise!!

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New Products, New Projects!

So today I'm just sharing a few projects that I did for the Viva Decor Release yesterday for my friend Susana's Store.  If you haven't checked out these products yet, you really should--I wouldn't recommend them if I didn't LOVE them myself.  They are easy to use, fun to use and so many ways to use them it will BLOW your mind (and they're economical to boot)!!  You can see my videos below which show you how I did these projects and how to use them all:

-Glass Effects Gel and Glitter Liner Video HERE

-Pearl Pens Video HERE

-Paper Pens Video HERE

This is a vase that I decorated with Staz-On ink, stamps, glass effects gel, pearl pen in silver and glitter liner (find all of these products HERE).  I had recieved this vase w/ flowers, washed it real good and then decorated it!  It was soooooooooo easy to do and took me maybe 20 mins--lickety split.  Can you imagine all the fun things you can make for gifts and for yourself!  The glass effects gel dries semi-transparent and leaves a stained glass look--it's so darn pretty!

Up close you can see the dimension from the silver chrome pearl pen that I used and then the glitter liner (in holo irridescent) on the swirls that I had stamped.  I just love the way it turned out!

These are square glass votives that I picked up at Michaels for $1.50 each (how's that for cheap) and then I used a Viva Decor stencil to make the pattern on the votive and the Glass Gel Pens in blue and transparent.  I then went back after that had dried and used my Holo-Irridescent Glitter Liner to create some glitter pearls for accents!  This took me all of 5 minutes to do and they can be hand washed (NO DISHWASHER) or put outside on your patio table--COOL!  Can you imagine the gifts you'll make---I sure can!

Here it is lit with a battery tea light I had on hand--this set of votives has been claimed for my daughter's beach themed bedroom LOL!

This is a little notebook (from Target) that I stamped and then decorated with my Paper Pens and Pearl Pens (in lilac and silver chrome)!  There are so many possibilities with these products, I promise you will love them all!  And you can find them all HERE!

See ya back here tomorrow!

Pearls, Pearls Everywhere!

Helllooooo and Happy Friday to you all!  I'm so thrilled that the weekend is here I tell ya!  Although I have a lot of work to get done, I can sleep in a bit and hang with the family!  Tomorrow my daughter has her All-District Chorus concert which will be nice--I always enjoy those.  She picked out her high school curriculum yesterday---woweee---can't believe she starts high school in the fall, where the heck did time go?!  These classes they take in high school now, so much work and so much pressure on these young kids---I worry about them!  Between all the nastiness out there, the peer pressure, social pressure and school pressure it's no wonder teens have a tough time of it these days---SUCCESS is forced down their throats so much ya know.  I continue to tell my kids that I want them to do well in school but I want them to be successful in what THEY WANT to do you know.  My dad always told me that if I pursued art as a career it would take me nowhere--LOL--well, Dad guess what---look where I am now and all the wonderful things I get to take part in :o)  You really have to pursue what you love and I truly believe that--passion is the key to living life well!!  And now I'll get off my preachy podium, hee hee!

OMGoodness I've been overwhelmed with all the comments and emails that I've gotten about the magazine/newsletter and my Copic Classes that I am STUNNED I tell ya!  I'm so thrilled that so many of you are as excited as I am and looking forward to it all!  And thank you all for your kind and encouraging words--it means ALOT to me!!

Some More Answers for ya quickly:

-I will have Copic Class Descriptions with prices and supply lists up on my blog very soon--so you can have an idea of everything and be prepared!  There is NO waiting list, you will be able to take the classes whenever you'd like for as long as you like (within a year) :o)  I promise you, they will NOT disappoint and you will be a pro at Copics when you finish the classes!!

-The classes will be on a separate site, NOT here on my blog!  There will be links on my blog to the site though and I will announce it on my blog so don't worry, hee hee!

-IF and ONLY IF, you have taken a Copic class with me at my home (or plan to) you can also register for the classes at a VERY discounted and low rate--so you will have access to all the pdf files and videos as well.  When the site is up and running and if this is something you want to do, you can email me separately for an invoice.

-I will STILL DO MY BLOG!!  I will still do YouTube videos, I will still be designing---yes I have alot on my plate but nothing will change here at ScrapBitz!!

-Marti & I are looking for ideas, submissions and projects for our first issue!  If you want to email me at sjdean0574@yahoo.com this is what I am looking for (pictures must be clear and bright) and please tag your email subject lines as stated below:

**craft room pictures (subject line: craft room)
**projects that SHIMMER & SPARKLE  (subject line: shimmer)
**what questions you might have about a particular product, tool or technique (subject line: question)
**if you specialize in a craft technique let me know if you'd like to share a project that showcases that technique (subject line: special technique) and/or if you would like to do a coordinating video
**if you know someone that might want to share their talent, let THEM know :o)

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Today I have some projects for ya featuring some HOT NEW Products called "Viva Decor" that are all available HERE at Susana's Store!  I have also done two videos (with 2 more to come) that you can see HERE and HERE that give more info on some of the products!  Go HERE to enter for some FREE PRODUCT!

**NEW Video on Glass Effects Gel and Glitter Liners HERE!!***

Cute as a Button!!

If you watch my Viva Decor "Pearl Pen" video HERE, you will see this cute baby onesie that I did.  I used the PTI set "Baby Button Bits" to create a custom baby gift and card.  The paper is also by PTI. 

For my card I used a fave color combo of hot pink, pale yellow and lots of white!  I stamped out the flower image from "Baby Button Bits", added some PTI buttons after coloring with Copics and some stickles to the leaves.  Then I added some Pearl Pen (in ice white) to the stems of the flower--I LOVE these Pearl Pens!  Why?  You can create your own pearls (and you know how I luv 'em)--any size, any color!  The fun ribbon is from Michaels and I used my Bow Easy to make that nice bow ;o)

Here's a closer look at the onsie--I used the "bee" stamp from the PTI set to make a butterfly!  HOW?  Well I CUT the bee from it's flight path (easy to do with acrylic stamps), stamped it on the onesie in PTI Palette Ink, then inked up just the antennae part and flipped it to create the bottom wings.  Then I stamped the flight path in pink Palette Ink AND white Palette ink.  The sentiment is from the PTI set "Handwritten Notes" and I took a felt button and added it to the center of the butterfly with Aleenes fabric/washable glue.  Then I traced the butterfly's flight path with the Pearl Pen to make small seed pearls and did the same along the neckline of the onesie.  (I did small pearls since this is for a baby FYI)

The Pearl Pen is WASHABLE (cool & gently cycle/no dryer)--they do not come off no matter how hard you try AND they are hard, you can not indent them or damage them!  Cool huh!!  I have soooo many fabric projects I'm going to use these on--tote bags, towels, t-shirts not to mention you can use them on any textile (including leather), wood, acrylic, paper and glass surfaces!  You can check them out HERE!  Watch my video on them HERE!

Second project uses one of my favorite line of stamps from I Brake For Stamps--the Humorous Seniors line!  I just love these old folks--they give me a good laugh everytime!  Here's a secret I'll let you in on...shhh...I want to learn to knit so I've signed up for a class at my JoAnn's, hee hee!  I've been wanting to do it for awhile so I saw the ad and went in and signed up--we'll see how I do,LOL!  My grandma taught me when I was young but all I ever made was VERY LONG STRING, LMBO! 

So I had to have this stamp called "Knitting Jane with Cat"--this might be me in 30 years, LMBO!!  I paper pieced the chair to match using papers from SEI.  Isn't that sentiment fun--it CRACKS me up I tell ya!  You can find the entire Humorous Seniors Line HERE and don't forget to use the Coupon Code "SAVE10SUZANNE" to get 10% off your entire order!!  And yes, I created all those pearls with my Pearl Pen in ice white--love that pen!  I also used some Smooch Illuminate Paint on the yarn and chair too and some stickles on her slippers!

SUZANNE TIP:  When you paper piece don't forget to shade it with your Copics so it all matches--you don't want it to look flat!  I shaded mine with BG11 and C2 & C3. I also added some diamond glaze to her glasses :o)  Isn't she fun--love her!

That's it from me today---I'll see ya tomorrow!

Bzzzz...Buzzzy!!

Hi all my wonderful crafty friends!  Thank you all so much for your input and comments about my "top secret project" that I'm putting together with my friend Marti!  It's exciting to get it started, but stressful and nerve-wracking at the same time, LOL!  I have been disappointed with alot of the crafting magazines out there and have been wanting to do this for awhile and Marti agreed :o)  We will start off small for the first year, but after that who knows where we can go! Sky's the limit!  I'm a buzzzzy girl I tell ya!

Some more info for ya to get ya excited about the new publication AND On-Line Copic Classes:

-You will be able to purchase a subscription in pdf format only or a paper AND pdf subscription.  The cost will be $20 and under for a year (not firm on pricing yet) with special intro pricing.  The first issue will go live April 1st and there after be May/June, July/Aug, etc plus a special Winter Holiday edition.  So you have an option to recieve it online and print it yourself OR you can get the glossy mag mailed to you AND have access to it as a pdf file (pricing will differ of course for both options).  And with both you have access to the special website!  (INTERNATIONAL Customers--pdf file subscription offered only right now)

-It will feature EVERYTHING!  Reader input is important to us!  We will have guests who specialize in different craft areas in one section (our main focus is paper crafting though), we will feature craft rooms, there will be techniques & tutorials galore (w/ videos to match them on the website to further the teaching experience), we will feature ALL stamp/digi companies, ALL craft products and tools, and lots of photos.  There will NOT be a bias on what we use---we want you to know about everything out there that there is to know!  We will feature all readers and their abilities!  We will not have a DT, because we want different people doing their thing for each edition, so there will be great variety but we will ask for submissions and ideas.  Cricut, Slice, Big Shot, Cuttlebug projects will be featured, Copics, Prismas and watercoloring will be featured and most of all it will be FUN!  And yeah, there will be contests too :o)

-And my Online Copic Classes are SOON COMING!  I have the site set up and am working on the "meat" of the classes right now.  Tentative date to open is March 15th!  There will be 4 classes you can sign up for---Basics Beginner 1, Beginner/Intermediate Level 2, Advanced Level 3, and a Copic Fun Class!  There will be ALOT of focused instruction, class assignments with input from me to help you along the way and LIVE CHAT with me to answer your questions every week!  Supply lists are available with each class description as well!

-Each class will have special pdf files that match up with each video chapter I do, so you have a printable page for each section of the class at your fingertips!

-There will be a TON of videos for each class, more specialized & focused on sections of an image and/or the technique.  Each part of the class will be broken up into different videos so you can watch a section over & over w/o having to forward it thru parts you might not need to review again.  You will have continual access to your class for as long as you need---there is no end date, so you can take your time or go as fast as you like :o)

-These are not Certification Classes---unless you want to work for Copic you do NOT need to be certified!  If you take all 4 classes you will know ALL there is to know about Copics and you will be able to color like a PRO!  I do not leave anything untouched, I will cover everything you want to know and more!  Are you ready? Are you interested?

Whewwwww....enuff info for ya?  LOL!

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Buzz Worthy Release from Pink Cat Studio

Today Pink Cat Studio has a double release--both digi and rubber stamps for ya and you can access them all HERE!  I love the lil' fairy girls that Melissa has designed (there is a bee, a butterfly, & a ladybug fairy)!  I chose to use "Lily Bee" for my projects today.  And of course I had to use the black, white and yellow theme!  The papers I used are from  and the cs and polka-dots are from PTI.  I created a fun card and matching boxy/bag favor.

"Lily Bee" is colored with Copics (of course) and I used Y15,Y13,Y11,Y00/C7,C5,C3,C1 for her.  Her wings, flower wand, headband and antennae have diamond glaze on them and some stickles on her ruffles.  I used some of my fave Nestie shapes (ovals, scalloped ovals and Labels 1) to create my layers.  The bee charm got some yellow stripes painted on it with my Smooch paint and the bow was created with my Bow Easy.  Isn't she a cutie-patootie!

This boxy bag is called a 2-5-7-10 Box and you can find the instructions for this HERE (created by the fab Jenn Balcer).  It's super easy to make and can hold so many nice lil' gifts!  I used the same papers, added some trims with my MS border punches and used my ribbon to tie shut.

Now make sure and hop over to the Pink Cat Studio Blog HERE to see all the dt projects for more inspiration!

These are all available as rubber AND digi stamps!

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Daisy Love

Since I had my papers out I figured I'd make another project because I love this color scheme--so fresh & fun!  This time I used a Lockhart Stamp called "Cupcake Daisy" which I colored with Copics.  I also added some Polar White Flower Soft to the image for texture and then stickles on the cupcake paper.  I traced a circle around the image with my black Spica pen and then added white pearls around it to bling it up a bit :o)

The white cs got the CB embossing treatment with my "swiss dots" folder and that fabulous bow was made with my Bow Easy!

Alrighty I'm outta here but I'll see ya back here tomorrow!

Enjoy Your Life!!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Did ya like my ghostie story yesterday, hee hee?  My ghost must have been hovering around me again yesterday because a jar of buttons on the shelf behind my worktable launched themselves down--wonder what the ghostie wants--maybe a custom card, LOL!

Anywho, I've got a couple of questions for ya and I'd love some feedback if you have time (email me at sjdean@smartneighborhood.net)--

**Would you be interested in a glossy paper publication every other month (like a magazine) mailed to you, that featured all papercrafts (cards AND anything made with paper, gifts, altered items, etc.)?  NOT JUST CARDS but projects too :o)
**Would include tutorials, pictures, techniques, new products, product review, great copic info/tips/tutorials, tool info, cricut info,etc.?
**As a subscriber you would get the benefit of an exclusive website with projects, templates, subscriber gallery and news, print abilities, pdf files and more---
**Reader submissions featured; sketches; coupons; contests?
**A special 7th publication featuring only Winter Holidays?
**Would you be interested in subscribing for a yearly fee with an introductory rate?
IF you answer these questions and give me your opinion, I will enter you to win a NEW Zutter Distrezz-it-All Machine (see here)!  I appreciate it!!  And yes I'm probably cooking up something BIG, so I appreciate all the answers I can get!!

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Enjoy Life

Today's card features a fabulous Greeting Farm stamp called "Twinkle Tots Izzy"--and 7 Kids College Fund now has all the great Greeting Farm stamps in stock HERE (twinkle tots will be re-stocked soon)!  I think she's just a little beauty!  I used some fabulous K&Co. papers (thanx S) called Floral Dreams--such pretty patterns and colors!  I used my Tonic Distress Tool to rough up the edges and put some of my fave Stardust Stickles (my go-to fave now) on her jacket and hat.  I layered some more Primas and Prima Roses together and the green swirlies are from a fab Cuttlebug Die set HERE.

The sentiment is from a PTI set and is called "Handwritten Notes" and the ribbon is also from PTI, it's cut out with the Nestabilities Labels 4.  The bow tied with my Bow Easy and topped off with some flowers.  The border was punched with a MS border punch--it has a matching corner punch as well (I luv it)!

I colored her with Copics of course---I used V99,V95,V91,V000/B02,B01,B00,B000/E13,E11,E00/E35,YR21,YR20.  You can find a great selection of Copics HERE.  Hope you like this cutie as much as I do!!

See ya back here tomorrow with some fab Pink Cat Studio Digi Releases!

What? July in February!!

Hello again my friends!  Oh goodness do I have alot to get done this week since it's the end of the month---but of course I say that every week, LOL!  I need my ghost friends to come out and help me, hee hee---"WHAT" you ask!  I have convinced myself that I have a ghost in the house, LMBO--seems to be friendly and hubby thinks I'm NUTS!  I think me and Riley may have watched too much "Ghost Hunters", hee hee--but there seems to be something strange goin' on in the Dean house.  The other day when I was videotaping the "Magic Mesh" vid, a spool of Magic Mesh leaped from one corner of my desk onto my work area while I was doing the video (creepy).  Then the cats have been sitting in the family room when all of a sudden they look behind me (behind where I sit), hair is raised up and eyes wide then they run from the room.  Not to mention that Baylee will do the same thing and start barking---STRANGE I tell ya, very strange.  And here is the kicker--hubby and I were in bed the other night and I was reading, when my bedside lamp went off suddenly.  And no the lightbulb didn't burn out, the switch wasn't flicked or anything---hubby and I looked at each other and were like "Whoaaaaa----really creepy", especially since I leaned over and turned the lamp right back on, nothing wrong with it!  So I can't say I'm a total believer in ghosties/spirits but it definitely has me thinking (and wondering who it is, LOL)!  Alright, enuff ghost stories for ya!

NewsBitz:

-7 Kids College Fund has some NEW stuff in STOCK NOW!  Craft Lounge stamps are in stock HERE and some new awesome Ritz Glitter HERE (it's very, very fine and feels soft to the touch, very cool)!

-Susana's Store has the NEW Spellbinder's Dies in STOCK NOW HERE!!  YAY!  Love those labels!

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SCACD Try It Out Tuesday Challenge #56

You're probably thinking that the ghosties have gotten to me and I'm confused about months, right? LOL!  But the Try It Out Tuesday Challenge for Susana's Store is to use a stamp from the store for a Holiday/Purpose other than what it's for!  So this NEW cutie by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD called "Oh Baby" just screamed out to me to be a 4th of July baby!  I had so much fun coloring her I tell ya!  The papers are all by Stampin Up and I used my Scor-Tape to create a ruffle with some sheer ribbon to match her skirt.  The 4th of July sentiment is from a Melissa Frances set HERE.

Isn't she a cutie pie?  She can be used for so many different occasions--I love stamps that are versatile like this!  Her shoes got some diamond glaze on them and then her socks, flower and shirt all got stardust stickles on them for lots of glitzy sparkles.  (Copics Used: R29,R24,R22,R20 & B39,B37,B32)

So I couldn't stop with just one, since I had all the supplies out!  I always like to try to do a couple of CAS (clean & simple) cards every month!  I used a fabulous Lockhart Co. stamp "IB Bite Size Cupcake" and stamped three out on my cs (see the cs I use for copics here), colored them and then added a fun NEW Product to the top for frosting (more on this new stuff on Friday)!  The cherries got dabs of diamond glaze, the white cs was embossed with a CB folder and then I added stickles to some of the lines to make it glittery!  This could be used for tons of things, but I like the clean lines of it!!

Now to see more inspiration on making your stamps versatile, head over to the Store Blog HERE to check out all the DT projects.

Sweet as Candy!!

Hello Friends & Happy Monday to ya!  I'm off today to see my friend Marti---we're cooking up some secret projects (shhh...can't tell), hee hee!  We had a good weekend, saw family, played "Quelf" and ate at Bertucci's (my fave)!  I also got some work done which is always a good thing---now if we could just get rid of all this white snow, blech!  I'm so sick of looking outside and seeing only white ya know?  I cannot wait until it's green outside and I can open my windows wide and enjoy the fresh, WARM air!  It couldn't come soon enough I tell ya :o)

NewsBitz:

-Susana's Store has some fabulous new products including Magic Mesh HERE and BEAUT-i-FUL Robin's Nest flat-back diamonds and mini drops HERE!  And don't forget all those fabulous Elisabeth Bell for SCACD NEW stamps HERE!

-I have a NEW Copic Video up HERE that shows how to use your Copics like Distress Inks!  This one covers blues, greens and different hair color!  Find the stamp I used HERE!

-I also have a FUN NEW Video on Fun Ways to Use Magic Mesh HERE!  It's a really fun product to use--so many creative uses!

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Sweet as Candy

For my card today I've used "Christmas Party Tilda" from Magnolia-licious HERE (I seem to have a knack for using stamps that Diana is out of stock of, LOL) and yes this is a Xmas stamp, hee hee---but I've changed her up just a bit!  Her pocket and hand hold candy canes but I made them lollipops :o) SUZANNE TIP:  How you ask?  I took two of my hole punches and punched 2 white circles (1 super small & 1 small), colored them with copics and them topped them off with a drop of diamond glaze and now she's ready for a birthday party!  Behind Tilda I used a fun CB embossing folder to emboss the white cs and then inked the edges in pink.

The papers I used are from Best Creation--aren't they so cheery and spring-like, I love 'em!  The lil round sentiment is from an old SU set I have and love and then I just layered more Primas together for my flowers embellies.  SUZANNE TIP: I buy Prima Sprites in Green and then cut the the petals apart to make leaves for my flowers!  The swirls are made with this punch HERE.

Here's a closer look at those candy-canes TURNED into Lolli-pops!  There is also diamond glaze on her white patent shoes and lots of stickles on her pocket and present.  On the ribbon around the present, the heart in her pocket and on top of the Prima roses I used the NEW Smooch Illuminate--it looks sparkly white but is very sheer so you can use it on top of anything for a soft sparkle. (COPIC COLORS used:  R85,R83,R81,YG25,YG00,YG0000,C2,C1/Hair: E35,E31,YR21,YR20)  I think she turned out super cute--whaddya think?!!  As always you can find a ton of these cutie-pie stamps HERE at Magnolia-licious!

See ya back here tomorrow!!

New Release--Yay!!

Hello everyone and Happy Friday to ya!  Wahooo it's the weekend, this week has seemed very long and hard to me, LOL, between being sick, working too many hours and my laptop crashing!  I'm so looking forward to some down time, errr....well a little bit, hee hee since I have videos to shoot, projects to finish up and a retirement party for hubby's mom to attend!  I have a private copic class today which is always fun and then my daughter is going to the mall with her friends for a bit to shop--she's been raking in some big time babysitting bucks, I might need to borrow some $$ from her, LOL!  Are any of you watching the Olympics?  Hubby and I are HUGE Olympic junkies--we watch them ALL--we like to tivo them and then forward to what we want to watch :o) I really enjoyed seeing Lindsey Vohn win the Gold the other night in alpine skiing--I was thrilled for her!!

NewsBitz:

-I have a NEW Instructional Video up HERE that shows FUN ways to use Magic Mesh!!

-Pink Cat Studio has a fun CONTEST going on right now--you can find all the details HERE!

-Winner of the FREE IMAGE "Bye Bye" from Mo's Digital Pencil is Mary of "My Scrap Happy Life"--congrats Mary!  Email me with your email addy so I can get the image to you asap!

-Winner of the Magnolia "Dream Journey" Blog Candy is Nancy of "Another MD Crabbie!  Congrats Nancy--please email me with all your info so I can get the goods out to ya lickety-split!
(Thanks to everyone for entering--I loved reading all your sweet entries--I will have major blog candy up soon)

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Always

Today is Release Day for the NEW stamps from Elisabeth Bell for Susana's Custom Art & Card Design store--this set is called "Sampler Edition #3.  To celebrate the DT and some wonderful Guest Designers are doing a fun Blog Hop for you today to show off all the new stamps!  These stamps are all gorgeous and I love each one--you can see them all HERE (will be available before 9 am EST)!  For my projects today I've created a card using "New Friends" (isn't she just gorgeous--love her-reminds me of my daughter) and a matching Boxy-Bag.  These gorgeous papers are NEW from DCWV "Linen Closet" (I snagged this one and Mediterranean Cafe at my JoAnn's store yesterday).

You can find the entire Blog Hop List HERE in case you get lost, hee hee---but your next stop on the Hop can be found at the end of this post!

I just love this stamp "New Friends", reminds me so much of my daughter (esp. the profile) when she was younger.  I used the awesome Mojo Monday sketch #124 for my card layout--I really like it so I'll definitely be using it again!  I colored the image with copics (B01,B00,B0000/E43,E41,E53/Hair:E35,E31,YR20,YR21) and added some stickles to her pockets and hair barette.  The sentiment is a PTI set and I added some pearls and Prima Roses (the mini rosebuds you can find here) to finish it off.  That fab bow was made with my Bow Easy of course ;o)

I hadn't made one of these Boxy-Bags before, I know they were really popular for awhile and you saw them everywhere but it's been awhile, so I decided to give one a go--you can find the directions for this HERE.  It was really easy to make, I used one of my Asian Cuttlebug folders on the blue cs, a MS border punch and then spritzed the entire project with Vanilla Smooch Spritz (love the soft sparkles)-I added it to my card too :o)  Hope you liked my projects for today--you can find all the new stamps HERE and your next stop on the HOP is CAROLYN's BLOG HERE!!  Have fun hoppin'!!

Dreamin' of Paris!!

Hello My Friends!!  Thank you everyone for your sweet thoughts--I think I just got overworked and was tired out so the day off was good for me (gotta refresh that mojo every now & again, lol).  So many of you have left me such sweet and awesome comments and it just makes me sooo happy to hear and so kind of you to let me know--I appreciate all your comments--you all are AWESOME!!

And then yesterday morning my laptop crashed and I lost ALL of my emails (all of them)--I was able to get it working again thankfully but I lost all my to-do emails.  If you have emailed me in the past 2-3 days and I have not answered you, please shoot me an email again and I will respond ASAP---also if you've signed up for my Copic classes if you could just shoot me an email on which date you were coming I'd appreciate it.  Sorry 'bout that---but hubby said he's gonna buy me a new laptop (yay) so I'll use this one for back-up only!  Electronics I swear will make ya turn gray!  Anywho, I'm feeling a bit better and was able to get some work done yesterday and hopefully a bunch today.  I've got a few events to go to this weekend so I gotta get all my work done :o)

NewsBitz:

-Tomorrow Susana's Custom Art & Card Design releases the fabulous new Elisabeth Bell for SCACD stamps and the DT is celebrating with a fun Blog Hop!  If you haven't entered for the yummo-licious Blog Candy over on the store blog HERE, you have until 10:30 pm EST tonight to do so (there are sneakie peekies there too)!!  I'm telling you this as a WARNING---YOU WILL WANT THEM ALL--I LUV them!  tee hee!

-Today Mo's Digital Pencil Challenge Team has a new challenge for ya today on their blog HERE!

-Check out all my Newsies on the post below for info on blog candies, new products and stuff! :o)

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I'm Dreamin' of Paris!!

I had quite a few of you enter for my "Dream Journey Blog Candy" HERE and ask me "What my Dream Journey" is, lol!  Well I'm gonna tell ya, hee hee---I want to go to Europe soooo bad, Paris and Normandy in France (I want to see my grandfather's grave in Normandy--he died there in WWII), then visit Spain, Portugal, and Italy.  It is a major dream of mine and is on my Bucket List for sure!!  Then after that go spend 2 weeks in New Zealand and Australia--a girl can dream right?!!  Anywho, I've had this fabulous "Paris Balloon Collage" stamp from I Brake For Stamps sitting on my desk for awhile just waiting patiently for me to use it!

This stamp is available in large (which is what I used), small and on a sheet with other beautiful collage stamps HERE (use coupon code "SAVE10SUZANNE to get 10% off your whole order)!  I stamped the stamp onto cream cs with PTI's Palette Ink in "enchanted evening" then added some darker highlights with my E41 copic marker.  I also added stickles to the border of the image, Paris word and some of the flowers for sparkle to match the fab dp.  And that dp is by DCWV "At Home" that I just found at Michaels & I LUV it (all chocolates, creams and blues)!  I distressed all my edges with my Tonic Paper Distress Tool and inked the edges with distress ink.  The bow has a Prima Pearl Center and then I used a new swirl punch for the swirly cut-outs. 

Some layered Primas and roses which are all white/cream (see here) that I distressed and added Copics to (B37,B32).  This is a great thing about buying White Flowers--I have a bin of them--you can spritz them, ink them, color them and paint them to match your projects!!  And those fab lil' mini rosebuds are from Wild Orchid Crafts in the UK--you can see them HERE (fab customer service).

And I leave you with this photo of one of my cairn terriers, Baylee:

This was her face looking at me while I was cursing and ranting while trying to fix my laptop yesterday (yes on horrible occasions I can have a potty mouth, LOL).  She looks like she's sad for me or thinking "my mama is CRAZY!", hee hee--so I had to snap her pic!!

Day Off!

Happy Wednesday everyone!  I woke up very sick yesterday so I took the day off and am still not feeling up to par today.  I'm gonna catch up on some work today and take it easy, but I'll be back tomorrow.  In the meantime I'll leave you with a list of Newsies!! :o)

NewsBitz:

-Don't forget to join in on the Mo's Digital Pencil Celebration Blog Hop--See my Post HERE!  Blog candy & prizes galore!

-If you didn't see my second post yesterday featuring a cute girl and CAS design--go HERE!

-Don't forget to enter in the YUMMY Elisabeth Bell for SCACD Blog Candy HERE!

-I've added a bunch of my projects to my Etsy store as well---you can view them all HERE!

-7 Kids College Fund has some awesome NEW PRODUCTS in store now!  New High Hopes stamps HERE, New Ultrafine Flower Soft & stamps HERE, New Shimmerz products HERE and fabulous New Greeting Farm Stamps HERE!

It's a Celebration--Mo Style!!

Happy, Happy Tuesday everyone!!  I hope you're having a good week so far!  I'm happy cuz' my kids FINALLY went back to school today after having 10 days off---don't get me wrong, I do love them & stuff, hee hee---but they start getting bored & fighting with each other & driving Mom CRAZY!!  Hubby went back to work too so I get to have some semi peace & quiet to get work done today--yay!  Have any of you heard of the boardgame "Quelf"--well if you haven't you need to go buy it!  I had read about it in a magazine and we bought it this weekend--it is CRAZY FUN!  The four of us were rolling on the floor laughing at some of the questions and things you have to do--totally worth the $25!!  OMGoodness I haven't laughed that hard in a bit and after putting in major hours in projects, it was a nice stress reliever!

Okay--I have TWO (2) BLOG POSTS today so make sure and scroll down to see the second one, okay!

And if you haven't entered in my hidden blog candy, you still have a chance to do so right HERE!

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That's right!  It's Mo's SIX MONTH anniversary and she reached the 1000 member milestone on Paper Craft Planet last week -- so Bella and Bronte called for a celebration! 

It's a Blog Hop with both DTs!  Each  DT member will be giving "their" digi stamp that they use to a random person who leaves a comment.  Plus, visitors can gather "clues which are letters" at each stop to spell a phrase and be entered into the big contest to win one of many prizes including:

Mo's Digital stamps

Stampavie Mo's stamps

coffee cups, totes and teeshirts from Mo's Zazzle shop 

and the grand prize of an original handmade art doll by Mo! (I want one of these, lol)

To participate for the final drawing of prizes, you MUST figure out what the letters spell out---HINT: it's a fun phrase!  
When you've figured it out, email Mo at party@mosdigitalpencil.com WITH THE PHRASE in the Subject Line!!  You have until Friday at midnight EST to email Mo!

The ENTIRE HOP LIST is on the Dream Team Blog HERE (in case you get lost, cuz' you will need to collect ALL the letters)
small hint:  You should have 20 letters in total to make a 5 word phrase

If you're just starting the Hop--you need to start at Jak's Blog HERE!  If not, then follow along with me!!  For my Mo's Celebration Project I used this cute lil' girl called "Bye Bye" (this comes in both boy and African American boy & girl as well)--oh my goodness how this image reminds me of my daughter when she was small.  She had teeny lil pigtails and a ladybug backpack for preschool too, oh the memories.  For my project I created a fun card (no sentiment needed--this says everything) and a folder that I created that holds some fun Crayola goodies.  Perfect lil gift for a lil' girl in your life!  The papers are "Twitterpatted" by Imaginisce and Doodlebug Designs makes the polka dots!

We were supposed to pick our fave Mo image today, which was really hard because I truly love EACH image I have, but this one just speaks to my heart!  She's colored with Copics and then I put a layer of diamond glaze on her tricycle, and some stickles on her handlebar streamers.

This is the front cover of the folder--the sentiment is from PTI's "Take Note" set ringed with nestability cut-outs and the yellow was embossed with a CB folder.  The folder ties closed with a matching ribbon.

And when you open it, this is what's inside.  I bought a bunch of Crayola goodies from Michaels this past September for my "things to use bin" (which is overflowing right now, lol) and they make a perfect lil kit to give to a child.  Inside is some white paper to draw or write on, a colored pen, stickers and spiral bound lil scrapbook with stickers---perfect for a gift or as a travel gift for someone going on a trip.  I love all the bright cheery colors.  (If you are interested in making a similar folder and want the dimensions & score line dimensions just email me).  I hope you love her and this project as much as I do :o)

So leave me a comment on this post ONLY if you'd like to win this cutie-pie "Bye Bye" image--deadline to enter is Friday at midnite EST.  

"V"

Now CONTINUE ON THE HOP with your letter above and HOP OVER TO DENISE's BLOG HERE!!

(remember if you get lost, please go HERE to see the entire blog hop list)

Make sure and scroll down to see my other post for today! Whew, are ya tired yet, LOL!